1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a console box arrangement for vehicles.
2. Background Art
In the field of motor vehicles, there has been a steady development of various types of interior fittings and equipment for the safety and comfort of the occupants of a vehicle.
For example, many of today""s cars are fitted with a console box which is arranged between the two front seats of a car and which is constituted by a container and a lid. The container is easily accessible for the occupants in the front seat of the vehicle and can be used for storing small items such as coins and keys. Also, when the lid is in its closed position, the console box serves as an armrest for the occupants in the front seats.
In some cases, the container is provided with a so-called cupholder, i.e. an arrangement for holding or accommodating a drinking glass, a cup or a can for beverages. The cupholder is arranged inside the container and can be accessed when the lid is opened. An occupant in the vehicle may then place for example a can in the cupholder. This type of equipment is considered as being advantageous as regards the comfort of the occupants.
A previously known console box of the above-mentioned type can be found in the car model Volvo XC70, and comprises a housing with a container and a lid. The lid is pivotable with respect to the container about a pivoting axis. When the lid is closed, the console box can be used as an armrest, and when the lid is fully opened, the lid extend in the opposite direction as compared with the container, i.e. the lid extends towards the occupants in the rear seats of the vehicle. Furthermore, the housing comprises a cupholder element which is pivotable about the same axis as the lid and which is shaped so as to accommodate and support a drinking glass, a cup, a can or a similar object. The cupholder element can be pivoted from a first position in which it is accommodated in the container (and is easily accessible for the occupants in the front seats) to a second position in which it is accommodated in the lid (and is easily accessible for the occupants in the rear seats). This type of cupholder is obviously advantageous for the comfort of both the rear seat occupants and the front seat occupants.
A further console box provided with a cupholder is known from the patent document DE 4415732. This console box is arranged so that its lid is provided with a cupholder component. When the lid has been pivoted to a fully opened position in which the lid extends rearwards in the vehicle, the lid and the cupholder component will be easily accessible for the occupants in the rear seats.
Although these two previously known arrangements function in a satisfactory manner, there is still a demand for further improvements in the field of console box arrangements having cupholders.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved, multifunctional cupholder for a vehicle, in particular having a cupholder which can be used for both the front seat occupants and the rear seat occupants of the vehicle.
In accordance with the invention, this object is accomplished by means of an arrangement as mentioned initially, which arrangement is characterized in that the cupholder comprises a first holder component and a second holder component which are pivotable with respect to each other about said axis so that the first holder component can be accommodated in the container and the second holder component can be accommodated in the lid.
By means of the invention, certain advantages are provided. For example, the cupholder can be separated into its two holder components, i.e. the first holder component and the second holder component. If the first holder component is positioned in the container and the second holder component is positioned in the lid, all occupants in a vehicle (i.e. in both the front and rear seats) may have simultaneous access to a cupholder.
According to a preferred embodiment, each one of said holder components comprises at least one ring-shaped element. The diameter of said ring-shaped element generally corresponding to that of a normal drinking glass, cup, can etc.